Shadow Initiative Volume 1
by Evy Sevin
Summary: This is my own vision of the Shadow Initiative, starring Emma Frost, Constrictor, and Gambit among others. Chapter 3 is up and the plot is on a build-up to detonation as Weapon X and the Shadow Initiative prepare to clash. Please Review!
1. Chapter 1

Shadow Initiative Volume 1

Arc 1: Living Weapons

Issue 1: Hidden

Constrictor, Emma Frost, Black Scorpion, Valkyrie, Gambit, Agent Zero, Hub, Henry Peter Gyrich, Aardwolf,

Story So Far . . .

After Galactus attacked the Earth the superheroes battled him with several losses and the government attempted to help but they seemed to get in each other's way and their cooperation seemed to cause more damage than help. Once the battle was won the government decided to rethink the way it handled superheroes and passed the Super Human Registration Act requiring all super humans or those that wished to fight as heroes to register with the government and work under its employ.

1. Camp Ross, New York

"First thing you need to understand is that you don't exist," Henry Peter Gyrich stood glowering down at the three super humans before him. None of them would ever be considered heroes, and they knew it. "If you ever get caught or recorded we will deny your existence, there are no official records of you."

"We know this, do you take us for fools?" Emma Frost stared coldly at the government official. She wore her usual revealing white attire that she had grown accustomed to wearing as a member of the Hellfire Club. She had once been its White Queen. Now look at her, a pawn of the government. She felt humiliated and humility was not something she aspired to.

"That's the second thing, you question us you're off the team and your license is revoked, no more using your powers and no more heroics."

"Ha!" Frank Payne, otherwise known as Constrictor, laughed. "You don't have to worry about the heroics."

"You don't breathe a word about this to anyone," Gyrich commanded. "If anyone asks you are serving doing menial tasks."

"Give it a rest," Frank told his government liaison. "We've been pulling the secret work routine as long as you've been involved in the government, some of us longer. We know the rules."

"So, all the other teams are getting extravagant bases," Emma leaned forward so that more of her cleavage showed in an attempt to distract her new boss. "What do we get?"

"Safe houses."

"Safe houses?" she asked. "I thought that we would get the same respect as the superheroes."

"Earn it," Gyrich scowled leaning forward himself and looking her in her intense blue eyes.

"I should have known . . ." her voice trailed off. There was no use in getting the boss angry on the first day.

The other member of their little black ops team stayed quiet throughout the entire conversation. She was known as Carmilla Black or Black Scorpion. Her true name and parentage was a mystery to everyone, even herself. Though she had never really been on the wrong side of the law like her teammates she had been doing black ops work for the government since she was twelve. Emma was intrigued by the quiet young woman; she could be quite a useful asset to her.

It was obvious to Emma why she had been chosen for this team. She had been known as a criminal for almost all of her life and what was a black ops team anymore without a telepath. She had only an inkling of Carmilla's abilities but her reputation as a black ops agent preceded her. What Emma couldn't understand is why they had chosen someone like Frank for his group. He wasn't all that powerful and he relied on his suit for his powers.

"Frank, I want you to lead the team in the field," Gyrich answered her question as if he could read minds as well as she. "Your experience as a SHIELD agent will be useful to us."

"Do I get paid extra?"

"What?" Gyrich seemed astounded.

"Do I get paid more for being the leader?"

"No," Gyrich said firmly. "Consider it an honor and at least you won't have to take orders from someone else."

"Except you."

"Except us," Gyrich agreed grimly.

"Fine," Frank didn't have much choice in this anyway, but it was nice to feel as if he did.

"I want you in your rooms and studying these disks," Gyrich tossed them each a CD-R in a clear plastic case. "Dismissed."

2. Manhattan, New York

Chon Li had always been a second-rate crime lord. His time in Madripoor had been filled with setbacks and coups. After the crime lord Tyger Tiger had taken a large chunk of his small empire he had decided it was time to move. His first choice hadn't been America but Genosha. However Magneto had better control of his borders than perhaps even the isolationist African nation of Wakanda.

Failing to enter Genosha he had turned to America. He already had a few agents there and at the moment there was a power vacuum amongst the criminals of the Democracy after the passing of the Super Human Registration Act. It was now or never for the black-furred mutant.

It had been a rough start with one of his contacts fleeing before he could arrive and another in hiding worried that he would be captured by the Initiative forces. However Chon Li had persevered and slowly built up a second empire, this one smaller than his first but a good start.

It wasn't long before he began to get noticed. With the Initiative passing and the first team already organized he knew he would get caught soon if he wasn't careful. So now here he was, laying low. Not something he liked to do as it restricted his money flow, but it was necessary.

He sat rubbing his fur, feeling it tingle as his hand ran down his torso. Boredom was nothing for a crime lord to experience. He grabbed a nearby wine glass and drank lightly from the white zinfandel inside. His sense of taste was enhanced and he was able to sense all of the subtleties of the light wine. He licked his fangs and took another sip, a bigger one this time. He had already had a previous glass and his body felt warm all over, his head a little hazy.

Thump! A muffled sound reached his ears. It was out of place in his quiet apartment. Besides four of his bodyguards there was no one else there and they knew not to disturb him unless it was important. He went to the intercom system installed next to his bedroom door and pushed the speak button.

"Ken, what is going on? What is that noise I heard?" then, not wanting to sound cowardly or afraid he added. "I told you I didn't want to be disturbed!"

"Oh I tink you will be very disturbed in a moment," a voice with a strong Cajun accent laughed mockingly into the intercom system.

"What's going on? I don't recognize your voice!" Chon Li felt his heart rush into his throat. "Who are you?"

"You'll see," the voice taunted.

Chon Li desperately locked and bolted his bedroom door. He glanced around for a weapon to use. He had been foolish and relied too much on his bodyguards. Despite his super strength and super speed he wasn't much of a fighter, or a marksman for that matter. If it hadn't been for the connections he had built up over the years he wouldn't be much of a crime lord either.

BLAM! A shot rang out blasting of his bolt lock. "Knock, Knock!" a female voice called out with glee.

Another shot rang out and three mutants came crashing through his doorway, ready for a fight. He grabbed a lamp and threw it at them. One of them, a man in a long brown trench coat, threw a small glowing object at the porcelain lamp that exploded on impact. Shards of porcelain went everywhere.

Chon Li rushed forward hoping to catch them by surprise and get past them. No such luck. He pushed the woman aside but she disappeared into thin air. The man in the trench coat dodged him easily. The third mutant was a man dressed entirely in black including his face.

He easily moved to avoid Li's claws and used the crime lord's own inertia to send him stumbling toward the hard wood floor. Chon Li tried to recover putting his hands forward to catch himself. A booted foot slammed into his back forcing his face smashing into the floor.

"Aardwolf," the Cajun voice called him by his nickname, he hated that name. "You are wanted by Weapon X. You can choose to do dis de hard way or we can do dis de easy way, it is your choice."

Chon Li lay there for a second considering his options. These three had taken out his four bodyguards with hardly a sound. What chance did he stand against them? He looked up at the window to his room, but the heavy wooden blinds were drawn and the window was locked with a screen in it.

"I won't fight," he finally submitted.

"Gambit," the girl groaned. "Why did you have to give him his choice? You always ruin my fun."

"I'm wearing new boots tonight and I didn't want to get them scuffed on their first mission," the man in the trench coat answered. "Mission control," Gambit said into a small mouthpiece. "This is Card Shark. The Wolf is in the bag."

"Bring him home boys," a voice answered back.

"On our way."

Chon Li groaned miserably as the silent mutant that had knocked him down picked him up to his feet and pushed him forward toward his ruined bedroom door. What was going to happen to him?

3. Camp Ross, New York

Frank rubbed his eyes. The disks Gyrich had given them contained the location of several safe houses around the nation as well as their floor plans. What irked Frank more than anything was that he knew of at least two other safe houses out there. The government, despite making them register, didn't seem to trust them enough even to show them where they could be safe.

There were many other files on the CD but his eyes were tired and he wasn't used to such tedious work. Normally his missions were completely planned out for him and any planning he had to do was done on the fly. Now that he was the leader of this group he couldn't afford to be so cavalier.

Just to make sure he knew that he belonged to them now they had given him a new uniform to wear. It was actually quite similar to his old uniform modeled slightly after a boa constrictor. However the blue that had covered most of his body was replaced with a black Kevlar and leather mix. His gloves and coils were almost exactly the same as his originals.

"I think we have already gotten on Gyrich's bad side," a voice suddenly said.

Frank looked up from his monitor and saw Emma Frost standing in the doorway to his high-tech office.

"I don't think that man has a good side," Frank told her. "Have you ever seen him in anything other than a foul mood?"

"My dealings with Gyrich have been . . . limited . . . until now," Emma enlightened.

"What about Carmilla?"

"What of her?" Emma asked. "I assume they gave you some files on her if they expect you to lead us."

"They did, but I haven't looked at it yet," Frank explained. "I saw how you looked at her though, what do you know of her that I don't?"

"Nothing," Emma said airily.

"Don't give me that bullshit!" Frank said. "She's not the only one where her reputation precedes her, you use everyone you know. You are known more for your manipulations than your telepathy."

"I don't use people," Emma denied. "I help people reach their full potential and ask only a small favor or two in return."

"Forget it," Frank dismissed. "If you don't want to tell me what it is that's fine, for now."

Frank rose angrily from his chair and removed the disk from his computer. He wasn't going to leave it about for Frost to find. Luckily for him they had seemingly thought of everything and installed psychic dampeners in the helmet portion of his full-bodied suit.

"I'm going to go see what she is up to," Frank told her. "Stay out of my things while I am gone."

Emma glared at him frostily as he stalked by her. He acted as if he hadn't seen. Already he had made an enemy on his own team, and it was only a team of three. At least Carmilla didn't seem to hate him yet, but then again it was hard to tell with someone who didn't say a word.

Carmilla's room was just down the hallway. Of all the buildings on Camp Ross they lived in the most plain. It was built to look like it was for menial laborers and nothing more. The rest of the rooms and buildings on Camp Ross used the latest tech and streamlined designs. Another price they paid for being part of a Black Ops team. At least they wouldn't have to rub shoulders with heroes.

Carmilla was sitting on her bed staring moodily at the wall. He cleared his throat but that didn't seem to break her out of her trance. "Carmilla."

She looked at him but didn't utter a single word. He knew she could talk, he had heard her when he had been brought to Camp Ross a few days ago. Her large bright green eyes unnerved him.

"Carmilla," he began again. "You should be reviewing everything that is on your CD."

"I know where the safe houses are, Constrictor," she said in monotone. "Probably better than you do."

Frank ground his teeth, this one was little better than Emma. "That's not all that is on there."

"I know," was all she said.

"She's one for conversation," Emma said slyly in his ear, talking about the young woman as if she wasn't present.

"I think I need to step out to get some fresh air," Frank responded moodily. "I'll be back soon."

What had he been thinking agreeing to be the leader of such a group? They were as likely to kill him as follow him. He sighed and opened the door to Camp Ross. Heroes and soldiers were everywhere. Who was he kidding? He didn't belong here, not with the heroes. He walked on toward the mess hall. Some comfort food would be nice. He just hoped the slop was decent.

He trudged along with his head down in thought. He barely noticed as Thor and Iron Man flew overhead looking at him in curiosity. Several other heroes stopped whatever it was that they were doing and watched him make his way to the mess hall. He ignored them as best he could.

At least the food was good. He loaded up on salad and roast beef. He had to eat as healthy as possible to stay in good shape. He sat down with his tray of food and began eating right away. The faster he was out of there the happier he would be.

"Can I sit here?" a voice asked. He looked up and saw a pretty young blonde woman with her hair in dual braids.

"Of course," he said, though he felt like telling her to move along.

"Thanks," she smiled at him, but the smile never reached her pretty blue eyes. She sat down with a large turkey leg and some potatoes. She wore a sword at her side and was covered in Viking-style armor.

"No offense," she said. Frank braced himself. "What are you doing here? Aren't you one of those serpent society villains?"

"No," Frank told her vehemently. "I never joined the Serpent Society."

"They wouldn't let you in?"

"No," he was getting frustrated fast. "I didn't want to join. I was a mercenary."

"So that doesn't answer my initial question," she said. This was beginning to sound more and more like an interrogation.

"I registered and they called me in here to do some menial tasks," Frank lied. "I'm not on any super hero team if that is what you are asking."

"That's good," she said and got up. She walked away to join her hero friends at another table. For the first time that day he was glad he was on the Black Ops team instead of one of the hero teams.


	2. Chapter 2

Shadow Initiative Volume 1

Arc 1: Living Weapons

Issue 2: A Tale of Two Teams

Constrictor, Emma Frost, Black Scorpion, Gambit, Agent Zero, Hub, Henry Peter Gyrich, Aardwolf, Deadpool, Stacy X, Mutant Zero, Dr. Abraham Cornelius,

Story So Far . . .

After an attack on Earth, superheroes battled the threat with several losses to their and the government's forces. Once the battle was won the government decided to rethink the way it handled superheroes and passed the Super Human Registration Act. They required all super humans, including mutants, or those that wished to fight as heroes to register work under its employ.

Using this new Registration Process the government has decided to put a super human team in each state. Already a team has been formed to protect the Unites States in general and another team where control has been handed over to the UN to placate its member nations. Another team has been formed to work in the shadows for the US government, it is known as the Shadow Initiative.

1. Weapon X facility, Greenland

The Weapon X facility was a massive compound built of steel and concrete. Its security used the most advanced technologies developed by Stark Industries and Mister Fantastic himself. They included DNA scanning, voice pattern recognition, iris scanning, and fingerprint analysis.

Remy LeBeau lead his small team toward the massive gates to the facility. Above them silent guards watched with energy guns trained on them. One slip up and it would be lights out for all four of them. Remy, otherwise known as Gambit, placed his hand on the fingerprint scanner and let it take his prints, it followed by taking a small bit of skin off of him and sampling his DNA.

"Match confirmed," a cool unemotional computer voice pronounced. "Remy LeBeau, designate Gambit, mutant, entering facility."

The large steel gate that stood before them slid open and they passed through to a long hallway to another large steel door. Here Gambit stood in front of a small device that sent out a harmless laser to scan his red iris.

"Name . . ." the computer indicated it was ready to match his voice.

"Gambit," Remy said. It quickly referenced its databanks and matched the voices as well.

"Please enter your Pin Code now," the computer stated, sliding back a small panel to reveal buttons with 10 numbers on them. "Please enter your personalized Pin Code now."

Gambit punched in his pin and let the door slide open again before proceeding. His teammates would be subjected to the same security before they could follow him inside.

"It looks like you were able to retrieve him," Doctor Cornelius noted. He was a shaggily haired man in medical scrubs staring at several security monitors showing Remy's teammates as they both passed through security at once pushing the recently captured Chon Li in front of them.

Doctor Cornelius ran the Weapon X facility along with Director Jackson. Neither of them lost any love on their mutant captives. Weapon X existed solely to capture mutants and turn them into weapons for the government to use and dispose of whenever it chose.

"It wasn't hard," Remy commented with his trademark thick Cajun accent. "He didn't put up much of a fight."

"Was he as bad as they said he would be?"

"Gambit isn't sure," Remy shrugged. "He didn't try to fight back for very long an' when he did he failed to even touch us."

"So," Doctor Cornelius said more to himself than the mutant standing before him. "I'll have to start from the ground up with this one. Glad to finally have another real challenge, haven't had one like that since James Howlett."

Gambit stood listening impatiently as he tugged on a metal collar that blinked incessantly. It was a control collar. Mostly it kept the captive mutants from using their powers until Weapon X deemed it appropriate. It also ensured their cooperation as anytime they attempted to remove the collar it would explode. They could also be detonated remotely if any of the captive mutants tried to run away. The only time the collars came off was in their power-dampening cells.

"Get back to your cell," Cornelius demanded of him. "Or should I summon the soldiers to escort you?"

"Dere's no need," Remy said. He walked down the steel and concrete hallway to a service elevator that he took down seven floors to the cells. He passed Miranda and Wade on his way to his own cell. They were two of the members of the other trio of Weapon X mutants that formed their own team. Remy led his team and the mysterious Mutant Zero led the other.

It wasn't long before Remy's teammates showed up sans Aardwolf. They all filed quietly to their cells. Outside of this facility they were a well-oiled machine that ran smoothly to fulfill the every wish of Weapon X. Inside the facility they were three strangers thrust together into a horrible situation that none of them fully understood nor wanted to. They weren't friends nor did they care for the others' fates.

It wasn't long before Chon Li's screams began to echo down the hallways. They had been waiting for it, now that it had begun Remy leaned back in the hard metal bed that was provided for him in his cell and fell asleep.

2. Camp Ross, New York

Carmilla Black sat on her bed staring sullenly at the wall in front of her. They had long-promised she would be able to leave behind her black ops past. When they had presented to her the opportunity to join Constrictor's team they had painted it as the opportunity she had been waiting for. She would join the ranks with other registered super beings and serve the government. This wasn't what she had been led to believe it was. She flexed her poisonous hand and tried to relax.

"Ms. Black!" Frank called out to her. "They want us dressed and ready for a mission in five!"

Carmilla sighed and quickly pulled her dark green hair into a ponytail. Quickly chucking her relaxing black clothes she replaced them with her black and green armored pants and combat shirt. Her shirt revealed her pale midriff; she didn't like to reveal it except when it helped her get the job done.

Her left hand was fitted with a special fingerless glove that revealed her green glowing fingertips. Her arm was one of the reasons that she had started off in Black Ops at such a young age, that and the brutal murder of her adoptive parents and the fact that her real mother was a member of one of the world's largest terrorist organizations, HYDRA.

SHIELD had long ago tried to get her into her mother's organization based on her genetics, but it hadn't worked. So to up the ante they trained her intensely for her entire teenage years in combat and assassination techniques. That combined with the emergence of her latent powers made her a much better catch for HYDRA. She was certain now this whole Shadow Initiative thing was just another way to make her all the more tempting for her mother.

She was in her uniform and by the door before either of her teammates had arrived. Frank was next; his costume looked like it was a one piece and had no zipper. Carmilla wondered how he put it on. Frank had told them about his unfortunate little encounter with a superhero, Valkyrie, was her name.

Carmilla figured Frank had probably brought it on himself, most heroes didn't act that way though Carmilla didn't know much about this Valkyrie, just what little information she had been given by SHIELD in training. They had profiles on all the superhumans they had come into contact with or were publicly known. They even had some on those who weren't yet born.

Emma Frost came next. Carmilla had expected her to come dressed in something white and slutty as usual, but she had forgotten that their uniforms were Government Issue. Emma was wearing black Kevlar and leather with some white trim and accents as a small nod to her usual attire. More than likely she had influenced that decision in some form or another. Although her training had only lightly touched on Frank, Carmilla knew much more about Miss Emma Frost.

Knowing what little more she did about Emma made Carmilla feel uncomfortable around the mutant woman, and Carmilla didn't feel uncomfortable around the Hulk. Emma Frost was a wealthy young heiress that did many things pretending to be charitable but in all reality she used those favors and kind deeds to put their recipients in debt to her and so her web of influence grew.

"We're almost out of time!" Frank complained as they trotted out the door toward a small office building where Gyrich had his office.

"But we're not out of time, are we?" Emma Frost told him.

"I didn't want to have to run to the building, it draws attention to us," Constrictor explained. "We're not supposed to exist as a team."

"Let them worry about that," Emma told him. "If they didn't want us to run across the Camp then they should know better then to give us five minutes to be prepared and in their office."

Carmilla didn't say a thing, something wasn't quite right and she knew it. If only she could figure out what it was that was bothering her about the situation. Why would Gyrich have them race across the Camp to meet him in his office when they were supposed to be a black ops team that was secret even from the heroes of the camp. Something wasn't right.

"Constrictor," she called out to her field leader as they trotted along toward Gyrich's office.

"What is it?" the irritation was plain on his voice.

"On your CD was there a folder labeled mission codes, or protocols, or passwords, or something of that nature?"

"I think so," Constrictor admitted. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I think this is a test," Carmilla told him. "Did Gyrich give you any special code when he asked for you to come?"

"Not that I can think of."

"You might want to check that list," Carmilla told him. "We probably require an activation code to be sent out in the field. This could be a test as to how well you've paid attention and read your instruction CD."

Frank stopped in his tracks not twenty feet from the office building looking at Carmilla. "Do you really think that's what this is?"

"It's happened to me before, and I doubt they would send us on a mission without even letting us practice first."

"She has a good point," Emma Frost noted, somehow despite her lavish lifestyle she wasn't panting from exertion.

"Quick, hide!" Frank suddenly called out. They all dove to the side next to a storage building in here were simple storage things like army pants that they made the new recruits wear.

"What are we hiding for?" Carmilla asked him once they had all made sure they had not been seen.

"It's Gyrich he and some of his assistants just left the office building and are heading to our safe house!"

"What's wrong with that?" Carmilla asked.

"What if you're right and we weren't supposed to be seen together suited up outside of our safe house?"

"Let's just split up," Emma offered. "I can tell you that they were absolutely testing us."

"Emma!" Frank huffed. "You're not supposed to read anyone's mind without Gyrich's or my permission!"

"You were just about to ask me to do it," Emma Frost defended.

"How did you read my mind? I have psi-scramblers on!" Frank protested.

"Frank, you are as easy to read as a children's book," Emma Frost grinned. "I don't need telepathy for that."

"Well, you might want to figure out a plan quick because they are getting a lot closer!" Carmilla warned.

"Emma!" Frank whispered excitedly. "Make them think that we aren't here when they walk by!"

"His colleagues have psi-dampeners on, I can't," she refused.

"Damn!" Frank swore and then took off running for the back of the building; hopefully everyone else followed his lead.

Carmilla turned the corner right behind him, but Emma was further behind. Carmilla grunted with impatience as Emma turned just nanoseconds before Gyrich came within view. They stood behind the building and panted. They had to make sure no one saw all three of them together and since none of them could become invisible they had to make a plan as they weren't hidden from anyone else where they were standing now.

"When they see we aren't in there they're going to alert the camp about one of us and pretend it is an exercise," Emma informed them.

"Split up and return to base," Frank growled. "Remember, if you run into anyone you are doing menial labor for the Initiative." The other two nodded and with that they split three ways. Frank headed straight to the food court, predictably.

3. Weapon X facility, Greenland

Gambit awoke to the harsh-throated sobs of Chon-Li. The werewolf-like mutant lay curled in the fetal position in the cell next to Gambit. Gambit sighed, he had been through worse and even done worse during his time with the Marauders, but he thought he had put those times behind him.

Gambit smelled the stench of burning fur and flesh and a hint of ozone. They must have been doing the electro-shock "therapy". He remembered that particular torture all too well. Chon-Li eventually seemed to run out of energy for crying and fell silent though his body shook from time to time.

Gambit reached into an inner pocket inside his coat and pulled out a deck of cards and began to lay them out for a game of solitaire, anything to pass the time was welcome here. He even caught Wade, codename Deadpool, looking jealously at the small stack of playing cards. He would have been willing to hand out more cards for everyone else if he wasn't so sure they would try to turn it around and use against him.

Miranda who, for some reason, went by the name Stacy X, would have been the first to turn him in. Who knew if Agent Zero or Mutant Zero would even know what to do with them? They were the latest experiments by Weapon X and seemed to have zero personality and zero free will. It seemed they followed orders without even questioning them for a second in their minds. For mutants being held forcibly in a giant torture facility they seemed far too loyal.

Hub was a bit of a wild card, she was just insane enough to enjoy their treacherous job at Weapon X, but he knew she hated being restricted in any way. Deadpool was just as insane as Hub and twice as deadly despite his lack of offensive powers. Gambit knew someone who would give Deadpool a run for his money, someone that had been a member of Weapon X before.

To keep his fingers nimble and in good practice he practiced a few simple cards tricks, not caring if anyone else was watching. A shadow cast itself over his shoulder, the energy cells had even less privacy than regular prison cells. Here there were no walls to shield you from the view of your murderous peers.

"I see how you do it," Agent Zero said from an adjoining cell.

Gambit looked up in shock. Agent Zero never spoke unless spoken to. Gambit smiled nonchalantly, he lifted a few cards from the deck and waved them at his teammate.

"When we get outta dese cells mebbe I can give you a few lessons, no?" Gambit offered. He needed some sort of an ally here and Hub wasn't going to be it, though he wasn't much more optimistic about Agent Zero. How had he embroiled himself in such a mess?

"Okay, boys," a voice boomed over the microphone system, Aardwolf whimpered. "Gather up Team Alpha and bring them to me, I have another mission for them to run."

Gambit felt like groaning but he denied himself instead he quickly gathered up his cards and got them back in his pockets before the guards arrived. They liked to take his cards away if they saw them out. Why didn't Team Beta get a mission? His team had just come back from one.

Soon the guards arrived in their armored suits and control pads in their hands. One pushed a button and the nullifying collar began to flash and beep. Gambit had fifteen seconds to place the collar on or it would explode. He quickly grabbed the collar and placed it around his neck and heard it latch. It seemed ten-times more cruel to Remy that they made him put his own slave-like collar on.

"Alright!" he heard Hub exclaim. "Maybe I'll finally get some fun in on _this_ mission!"

"Shut up, mutie!" one of the guards growled pushing a button that gave the female mutant a harsh shock. To her credit Tanja didn't make a sound when it was pushed, but it was clear from her face that she was in pain. Agent Zero was silent and stoic as he always was.

"Move it!" the soldiers growled as Gambit's energy shield came down. He knew better than to complain or comment and he stepped out of his cell. As always they led him first in line to Cornelius' office. Cornelius and the Director took turns sending them off. It was strange that Cornelius was sending them out again. It was sometime early in the morning and normally it was Director Jackson who sent them off on the morning missions.

He, Hub and Agent Zero were soon standing in front of the Cornelius' desk as the hairy older man glared at them through his thick glasses. Gambit stood very still, his training as a thief came in handy as he was able to stand under pressure better than his teammate Hub. She giggled nervously, Gambit could see her face change as another shock coursed through her system.

"The reason I picked you again was because of your success rate," Cornelius explained sternly after a moment. "This is a mission that we cannot afford to screw up or fail, not even once, we have a very small window of opportunity and we have to take advantage of it. All of your other missions were nothing compared to this one. You thought the others were tough well you'd better rethink your concepts of perfection on a mission."

"And what exactly is our mission?" Gambit asked.

"In exactly two days time Nick Fury, the Director of SHIELD will be visiting the new camp where they are training their recruits to the Avengers Initiative. You will assassinate him as soon as he crosses onto camp property.

Gambit didn't know what to say, for twenty years assassins and terrorists had been trying to kill General Fury and none had succeeded. Now he had to take a team of mentally unstable mutants and do what they had all failed to do themselves.

"Fine," Gambit agreed. "But I want both teams at my disposal."

"That's too much at risk, I cannot give you them all for one mission," Cornelius refused. "I am not hiring you to rob a bank, thief. I am your owner and I am commanding you to get the job done."

"I need a sacrifice and I need my team," Remy explained.

"I'll give you Chon Li," Cornelius conceded.

"He won't be in condition after what you put him through."

"It's Chon Li or you'll sacrifice one of your own team members."

"Do I have to brief him or do you?" Gambit asked after a moment's hesitation. Hub was glaring at him.


	3. Chapter 3

Shadow Initiative Volume 1

Arc 1: Living Weapons

Issue 3: Preperations

Constrictor, Emma Frost, Black Scorpion, Gambit, Henry Peter Gyrich, Aardwolf,

Story So Far . . .

After an attack on Earth the government decided to rethink the way it handled superheroes and passed the Super Human Registration Act. They required all super humans, including mutants, or those that wished to fight as heroes to register work under its employ.

Using this new Registration Process the government has decided to put a super human team in each state. Another team has been formed to work in the shadows for the US government, it is known as the Shadow Initiative. An underground illegal government operation known as Weapon X, has long existed to use mutants for this same purpose but there is only room enough for one program under the new policy.

1. Camp Ross, New York

Emma Frost had no trouble seeming like she was not part of a covert operations team, she had been living a double life since her early teens and practice makes perfect. Nothing described her better than perfect. Her long platinum blonde hair was flawless and shone in the sunlight. Her cool blue eyes drew men and some women in and they were under her spell before she had even thought to use her telepathy. Her body was perfect as well, as if she had been sculpted by an artist as a representation of modern beauty. She was rich and influential.

She knew Frank was just begging to ask why she had joined the Shadow Initiative team, but her reasons were her own. She wasn't telling him any more than he needed to know. As far as she had been able to discern Frank wasn't the type to use someone, or betray, but she was taking no chances.

Carmilla on the other hand had been at this game too long and had started too young for some of it not to become ingrained in her personality. It was too bad she seemed resistant to Emma. The heiress would have liked to have had her under her control for whenever she might need her expertise.

Emma began to casually walk back toward the safe house that was their base in a roundabout fashion. She would go wherever she wanted when she wanted, or so she was used to. Now that freedom had been taken away from her and there was little she could do about it, for now. They wanted to control one of the world's most powerful telepathic minds that was a big risk, and with her they were risking far more than they knew. Emma smiled to herself.

A blazing hot form flew overhead, she considered making the super human responsible forget they had seen her, but he hadn't been paying attention either way. Then again the Human Torch, Johnny Storm, was rarely ever bothered with paying attention to anything other than himself. She sneered at the thought of the human. Why he was a member of one of the most influential super groups around she'd never understand.

She could hear Gyrich. He shouted roughly as he entered their safe house, he was in for a surprise and not a very pleasant one either. He had been attempting to control the Avengers for years now, and now that he had failed at that they had given him a consolation prize in Emma Frost and the rest of the little Shadow team he had built up from the dregs of super human society.

Emma almost felt dirty for being associated with her team members, but no one ever need know outside their little group. She certainly wouldn't be seen with them outside of the safe house, except on missions. Then their presence was unavoidable, like sweating when you ran.

Gyrich came busting out of the safe house when she arrived at the door. He was already a red head and not a very handsome one at that. His purple face of rage didn't help his looks either. She wanted to laugh, but knew now wasn't the time for her derision, she would play it safe.

"Where did you all go?" he shouted angrily at her.

"Relax," she told him firmly. "Frank went to go get some food, of course, and I decided to get some fresh air."

"What about Carmilla?"

"What about her?" Emma asked. "She isn't in there?"

"No!" at first Gyrich's purple face had calmed slightly to be red, but now his veins popped further.

Carmilla suddenly dropped to ground from the roof of the safehouse. "I'm right here, just needed to get some fresh air." She stared daggers at Emma. She must have heard every word.

Emma frowned slightly, usually she didn't make such simple mistakes as letting someone she didn't want to hear overhear her conversation. Was she getting sloppy or was it because so many men were about with psi-dampeners in their ears? Either way something would have to be done with Carmilla.

"Well, get inside before Frank comes along," Gyrich cleared his throat, bringing himself down to a calmer level. "I thought I was very clear that I wanted no chance of seeing all three of you all together on this campus unless explicitly instructed.

"Agent Travis, go find Constrictor," Gyrich commanded as Emma and Carmilla went inside. "Make sure you don't make a scene!"

"Yes, sir!" Agent Travis snapped a salute smartly and jogged toward the main building.

Inside Emma stood with her arms folded and an icy expression on her face. She never tolerated being spoken to the way Gyrich had spoken to her. She seethed inside at each of his words, but she kept her blue-lipstick covered mouth in check. Now wouldn't be a prudent to get herself into trouble.

"Once Constrictor gets here we need to have a briefing," Gyrich informed them. "I'll see you in the briefing room."

That was it. He didn't ask or politely infer instead he barked orders about as if he were president of the United States. Emma mentally went over exactly what she would do to the man once she was done with him. So many people wanted their enemies dead, but Emma was of a much more creative persuasion. However if anyone got in her way and she didn't have time for them she was quick to follow the ordinary villain's example and kill her enemy.

Carmilla walked behind her in silence. Emma reached out with her mind, but Carmilla was wearing a psi-dampener too, that bitch. Already her time with the Shadow Initiative (all day of it) hadn't turned out at all like she had expected. She had expected the staff to have psi-dampeners, but not her own teammates, though she had prepared for the eventuality.

"Don't take it personal," Emma finally said in an intentionally arrogant tone. "I had no idea what excuse you were going to make for yourself or I would have said something to cover you."

"If you had been paying better attention," Carmilla retorted her voice almost devoid of emotion. "There would have been no need for you to make anything up. If this is how you are going to continue to perform during our missions I think I'll ask to be re=-transferred back to direct SHIELD duty."

Carmilla was not easily cowed, and had a sharp tongue of her own on her. "I wasn't aware us getting back to the safe house was a mission. Perhaps if everything you do in life is about the mission, then maybe it is time to retire. Such a shame too, at your age."

"At least I am not past my prime trying to pretend to be something I am not," Carmilla retorted as she slipped past Emma Frost and entered the briefing room ahead of her.

2. Weapon X facility, Quebec Province, Canada

Chon Li wiped his maw with a furry forearm. Blood streaked dark across his fur. He was covered in injuries and was exhausted from jet lag. He had been transported from Manhattan to Greenland and then to Canada in less than seventy-two hours. He had no idea why they had brought him here. He also had no idea who "they" were. Sure, the other mutants had given him a name for the group, Weapon X, but that didn't tell him who they were.

They had tortured him until he was nothing more than a whimpering ball of blood and fur. Then, after they had let him rest for about thirty minutes, they had grabbed him up and thrown him in a cargo plane along with the same mutants they had used to kidnap him and took to the skies. It wasn't as long as a flight to Quebec as he had thought it would be.

When they had arrived it was at another compound very much like the one they had taken him to in Greenland. It was locked in by perma-snow and mountaintops. Several of the soldiers had come with them and were quick to file them out and lock them up in the compund.

"We aren't here to dream," Gambit shouted at him in his trademark cajun accent. He tossed another energy-charged playing card Chon Li's way. "Come now, Aardwolf, I am trying to help you stay alive. If you don't learn to defend yourself now then you won't even survive your first mission with us."

"Tell it to them," Chon Li grumbled as he dodged the card as quick as he could. It blew up, the impact of the explosion knocked him to his knees in the snow. Aardwolf whimpered as more blood pured from his nose. Growling he spun around and charged at the grinning mutant. Damn him! There was nothing Chon Li wanted to do more than wipe that smug smirk of the cajun's face.

He had no idea why these mutants were cooperating so fluidly with these humans who abused them and treated them worse than animals. They had placed a collar on him as well, but he had only received a few shocks during the flight over. It was enough to enrage him, but not enough to demand complacency.

"You're too slow," Gambit told him as he easily dodged Chon Li's attack and even worse clubbed the furry mutant over the head to add insult to injury. "You should be faster than me."

"Says who?"

"Me," Gambit frowned and began flinging card after card. "You think too much, don't think, just do."

Li dodged one card but was caught by another that exploded on impact. The power sent him tumbling head over heels backwards. He lay on the ground, panting as he watched his blood make little crimson blossoms in the snow.

A card drifted lazily down and landed next him, it was glowing.

"Oh shit!" he managed to begin before it blew up in his face. The blast wasn't as strong as usual but the blast blinded him and made him roll away. The blood came quicker from his nose and he could taste it in his mouth. Another card came tumbling down. There was another explosion, this one stronger than the first. He yelped as it tore a chunk from his ear.

"I won't stop until you make me," Gambit taunted from closer than Chon Li had thought he would be.

"Stop!" Li screamed.

"That's not what I meant," Gambit told him sternly.

Another card came floating down. Aardwolf leaped away, the explosion caused him to fly up higher in the air. He tried twisting so he would land on his feet, but he stopped. Closing his eyes he twisted his form and put out his hands. The snow made for a soft impact when he landed on all fours.

Opening his eyes he smiled, showing his fangs. Gambit smiled back. Chon Li raced at the man, but instead of charging he leaped about as a wolf might, making him a hard target. One card whizzed by his head and another flew underneath him. He dove to Gambit's left suddenly, trying for a surprise attack. His claws raked the man's brown trenchcoat.

Gambit smiled at him as he sprinted away to get out of bo range.

"Better," he said more to himself than the Asian mutant. "But still not good enough."

3. Camp Ross, New York

"What were you thinking?" they were the first words out of Gyrich's mouth. Frank sighed and prepared himself for a tirade. Being a superhuman, hero or villain, had never seemed so much like a 9-5 as it did now. Having some boss who seems to have no concept of what it takes to do your job screaming at you about something trivial seemed like something straight from Office Space.

Frank sat on one end of the table with Carmilla and the snake of a woman Emma Frost. On the other end stood Gyrich screaming, as usual, and ranting about how they had all left the base at once.

"If you are the last person to leave this base!" he shouted. It was surprising that the man didn't have an aneurism by now. "You WILL contact me directly and let me know where you can be reached!"

"We got it," Frank was tired of hearing about it. He had arrived five minutes ago and Gyrich had been screaming about it ever since. "It won't happen again, Mr. Gyrich, if we need to leave the last person to go will let you know."

"The reason I have already been testing you is simple," it was amazing, Gyrich had let something go. "We already have several missions for you, but we need to get you into shape as a team before you can be of any use to us."

"I'm getting warm and fuzzy all over," Emma said dryly.

"Constrictor, I want you to review those activation codes," Gyrich ordered. "Frost, Black, you're with me."

"Great," Frank heard Carmilla groan as she rose to her feet. "That's the last thing I need is some one on one time with the ice queen."

"I can go over the codes any time," Constrictor piped up. "I think I really need to see my team in action."

Gyrich was silent for a moment. "Fine, but I want those activation codes memorized by tomorrow morning."

"Will do," Frank winked at Carmilla who smiled back.

They followed Gyrich out of the briefing room into a seemingly normal shed not too far from their safe house. Once they had all gathered inside he pushed a seeming nail head on the wall and suddenly the shed floor dropped slowly. They stood as the hidden elevator took them down deep under the ground.

It took a long time to get to their destination floor. They walked down a pristine silver hall.

"You two, through the door," Gyrich motioned to a set of double-doors on the left. "Constrictor, you're with me."

Frank followed Gyrich up a set of stairs that led into a large observation room with a large control display below a plexi-glass window. .Frank walked over to the window and looked down. There stood Carmilla and Emma on top of a large square platform looking about them.

Gyrich pressed a button. "Alright you two, I want you to show me what you've got, and don't injure yourselves too seriously."

"I can feel the love," Emma retorted, suprisingly it came in nice and clear. "Are you ready, dear?"

"Ready and waiting," Carmilla smirked, looking at the glamorous telepathic woman before her.

With that the two women were at each other. Carmilla moved like liquid grace, evident in every step as she advanced on her teammate. Emma Frost didn't look as if she was ready to fight, and her telepathic powers were useless at the moment, Carmilla still had her psi-dampener in.

They stared ice daggers at each other for a moment, sizing up the competition. Frank watched on in fascination, he hadn't seen a good catfight since he had given up being a criminal. He liked the way girls fought better, girls fought, pulling hair and scratching with their fingernails. Of course these two were beyond doing either of those things.

Carmilla moved in swiftly, but Frank was surprised to see Emma move fast enough to block one blow and avoid another. Who knew the wealthy socialite could fight so well, Frank wasn't even sure if he could've avoided those blows. Carmilla backed up, obviously as surprised as Frank at Emma's capabilities.

Carmilla advanced again, this time moving so fast that Frank could hardly tell what was happening. At first Emma seemed to hold her own, blocking a punch here, ducking another. She even flung out a couple jabs herself, but they were not effective and Carmilla easily dodged her attempts.

"Hn!" they heard someone gasp with her mouth closed, obviously trying to hide the pain.

"I've got you," they heard Carmilla say triumphantly.

"It's not over yet," they heard Emma reply through clenched teeth. "And all you got in was a light jab to my ribs."

"That's all I need," Carmilla replied cryptically.

There was an inaudible flash of light and then suddenly before Carmilla stood Emma Frost, but she was completely different. She was made of smooth, living blue diamond.

"And this," Emma pronounced. "Is all that I need." She flung a fist out and Carmilla jumped to the side, trying to avoid the diamond fist. Emma hit her anyway. Carmilla stumbled back and fell on her bottom, off of the platform.

"That's enough for now," Gyrich ordered over the loudspeaker.

"You got lucky," Carmilla growled angrily. She wiped a bit of blood from her chin.

"Whatever helps you sleep tonight," Emma said reverting back to normal flesh and blood.

"Oh I will sleep fine," Carmilla grinned. Emma shot her a confused look, but Carmilla had turned around and begun to stretch.

Later that night . . .

It was dark and most of the camp had fallen asleep. There were a few guards patrolling the camp and there were a few heroes who worked at night, and were encouraged to do so by the Initiative.

A piercing scream rent the air. Several guards came rushing to the safe house, but when they slid their cards it displayed "insufficient security". They tried it again several times before racing towards Gyrich's quarters.

Inside Frank was frantically pulling on some pants and jumping down the hall at the same time. Oddly enough Carmilla hadn't made an appearance, neither had Emma, but she was the one who had screamed. Frank finally managed to pull his pants on over his boxers and raced towards Emma's room.

"What's going on?" Frank shouted as he raced to her half-open door.

"Don't come in!" Emma shrieked in panic. Her door slammed shut. "I'm fine go away!"

Frank didn't trust her he leaned in and pressed his ear to the door. At first he heard nothing but some frantic scrambling and some running water. At first he considered breaking down the door to make sure, but then he thought about what Emma might do to him if he did and reconsidered.

"My face! Oh, my face!" he heard faintly. He had never heard Emma Frost sound so panicked. "That little bitch! My face!"

Shaking his head Frank plodded back towards his room. His first night with his new team and he had already been woken from a wonderful night's sleep for nothing. Why did they have to team him with two women?


End file.
